My copy of Bitmap Books' NeoGeo: A Visual History and Viz Media's Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations both came in the post today. I've gotta say, they're well worth the dosh for very different reasons.
The NeoGeo book is huuuuuuuuge, like over 400 full-colour pages and just under 3 kilos huge, so much so that reading it normally is very difficult for me unless I set it down somewhere. Otherwise, the book is packed with photos, promotional art, production and patent drawings, screenshots, pixel art, flyers - the works, it's pretty much all here. There's also a thread of small text pieces seeded throughout which tell the story of SNK's beginnings, the NeoGeo's inception and design as many different forms, its life as an arcade machine and as a console, its games (and their design and production), its successors, the Hyper NeoGeo and NG Pocket/Color, and at the end, a series of interviews with SNK luminaries from throughout its lifespan, from the beginning, through the dark days of SNK Playmore, to the present day, and a longer bit with some NG collectors about their hobby. I think my favourite sections so far, besides the interviews, are the character design and boxart sections, which feature art from the NG family through the years. I have to say, i'm thoroughly impressed with the quality of this book, both the physical construction of the volume itself and the contents therein, and would highly recommend this giant tome to anyone who's even slightly interested in SNK and Japanese gaming history ansd art in general. Just be sure you have a sturdy coffee table, or equally tough shelf. It was packed well, too - mine came with braces on each corner to protect the book from shock damage, something I've never seen before. Nice one, Bitmap Books.
The Amano book is a different beast - a softcover with dust jacket, similar to a million different Japanese-style artbooks out there, and weighing in at only 126 pages. I already own a reprint copy of the gigantic three-volume collection of Amano's Final Fantasy-related art known as The Sky, so I already have more than enough Final Fantasy art to last me a few years at least, so I was looking for a book of some of his other works - his earlier work for Tatsunoko Studios, his fine art works, etc. - stuff not covered in The Sky, and this Viz-published "mook" (magazine book) hits the spot. Peppered throughout are interviews with the man himself, discussing his career, the creative process, his own artistic techniques, his inspirations and influences, and a chronology of his career up to 2016, all amongst the gorgeous art from his cover illustrations, designs and production art, and various other works from his portfolio. All of this makes Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations a much more artsy artbook than the NeoGeo one, since it's much more concerned with the actual artistic context and value of the man and his work that the "I look amazing on a coffee table" appeal of the NeoGeo book, Tell the truth, I've only skimmed through the first book of The Sky (it intimidates me!), so I don't know if it goes similarly in-depth, but I'd still recommend Illustrations for those who want to gain a deeper insight into Amano's work.
As for my next artbook? Well, like I said, my Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir Storybook Edition is coming soon, with its admittedly thin hardcover artbook and prints, so that'll be next, but after that, I guess I'll invest in the Super Famicom Box Art Collection from Bitmap Books, which sounds right up my alley. Is there anything similar for Megadrive/Genesis art?
